Enjoy The Sun, Run Your Heart Out, and Have a BLAST GETTING MUDDY! Spending a Saturday morning running through the mud may not seem typical, but to many it was an opportunity to support a cause while having a blast with friends, families, and co-workers. Premier Mushrooms joined hundreds of runners on September 15th, getting down and dirty in the mud to support River Partners, a non-profit based out of Chico. Everybody showed up clean, ran through a course laced with multiple mud pits and obstacles, washed off in the Sacramento River, and enjoyed lunch soaking wet in the mid-morning sun. Formerly known as Mudder Nature, Mud Blast is a series of trail races that are hosted along the Sacramento River. These 5k trails are fabricated with obstacles, the main attraction being large mud pits. The race started off relatively clean with a few skips and hops, however 1 mile out, this all began to change. Four mud pits were silently waiting in between bear crawls, pipe jumps, and hydration stations. The final stretch was a finish line that was placed just steps away from an entrance into the Sacramento River. The runners radiated a fresh coat of mud and anxiously entered the brisk water to wash off as they were welcomed by an energetic crowd. Pictures were taken, music was played, lunch was handed out, and feelings of joy were shown. Throughout the trail, attitudes from Mud Blasters were quite diverse along with the participants. All the runners conveyed passion whether they were out there to have fun or to set a new record. As mud-caked runners approached the finish line, the sounds of cheering from friends, family and team members were relentless. Several of the runners had very admirable performances with top times in the range of 20-30 minutes. Founded in 1998, River Partners helps the environment at low costs by combining farming practices with restoration ecology. The founders of River Partners created MudBlast to help support their mission of creating a wildlife habitat that allows both people and the environment to prosper. Premier was thrilled to be a part of the River Partners’ Mud Blast, while enjoying the beautiful habitat in our own backyard. Premier would also like to thank Mud Blast for supporting our promotion of the California Coastal Cleanup. Premier was given space to set up an exhibit booth to educate participants on the River Cleanup taking place the following day. This exposure resulted in additional volunteers participating in the event which resulted in an even greater environmental impact. We look forward to getting down and dirty at next year’s MudBlast event in support of keeping our local environment clean and healthy for years to come.